My Beautiful Apprentice
by karifoo01
Summary: Thrushstripe gets his first apprentice soon after his warrior ceremony. What happens when Shimmerpaw captures his heart? Oneshot.


**This is my first Warriors one-shot! I don't do many one-shots, anyway. But they improve my writing.**

"Thrushstripe, even though you just became a warrior, I believe you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Emberleaf, and you have shown yourself to be very compassionate and patient. You will be the mentor of Shimmerpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Fernstar's words were loud and clear.

Thrushstripe padded over to the silver tabby she-cat, barely containing his excitement. He was getting an apprentice! Shimmerpaw also seemed bursting with excitement as they touched noses. "I'll try my best to mentor you," Thrushstripe breathed.

"Cloverpaw! Snowpaw! Cherrypaw! Shimmerpaw!" the clan chanted.

* * *

"Shimmerpaw!" Thrushstripe called from outside the apprentices' den. She poked her head out.

"Yes?" she came out completely, her fur glittering in the greenleaf sun like water. It had been two moons since she'd been apprenticed, and she seemed to get more beautiful every day. _Wait, what? Where did _that_ thought come from?_

"Thrushstripe?" Shimmerpaw's voice took him out of his thoughts.

"Oh... yeah. We're going hunting," he mewed.

Shimmerpaw immediately perked up. "Really? Yes! Where? The Silver Birch? The Green Stone?"

Thrushstripe chuckled at her excitement. "Wherever you want."

Shimmerpaw thought for a bit, indecisive. "Let's just walk through forest," she mewed.

"Alright." They padded out of camp. Shimmerpaw looked at everything with excitement, as if it were the first time she had seen the forest. Thrushstripe gazed at her. _She's beautiful, _he thought.

"Uh, Thrushstripe?" Shimmerpaw mewed. Thrushstripe was jolted out of his daze.

"Huh?"

"Did you want something?" she asked shyly.

"Oh... no." He licked his chest fur and looked at his paws.

* * *

"Thrushstripe!" Shimmerpaw bounded over to him. "Can we do some battle training today?"

"Sure," Thrushstripe mewed, getting on his feet. "How about now?"

"Okay!" she mewed excitedly. "Can Snowpaw come?" Thrushstripe was tempted to say no; he didn't like that tom very much. He didn't even know why... or maybe he did.

"Okay," he said reluctantly, trying to cover the reluctance up. "Seedflight," he called into the warriors' den. "Can I take Snowpaw battle training with Shimmerpaw?"

"Actually, I was planning on taking Snowpaw hunting today, sorry." Thrushstripe cheered inside his head.

Shimmerpaw's head drooped. "Okay, let's go," she sad flatly, padding out of camp.

Thrushstripe paused, for he heard Shimmerpaw's name.

"Shimmerpaw's _definitely _mooning over Snowpaw," Cherrypaw gossiped.

"Yeah, did you see the way she looks at him? And she's _always _with him," Lilypaw replied, giggling.

Thrushstripe stomped out of camp after Shimmerpaw. She had a _crush _on Snowpaw! Shimmerpaw was _his_, not Snowpaw's!

* * *

"See you later, Snowpaw!" Shimmerpaw called as she ran toward Thrushstripe.

_I _hate _Snowpaw, _thought Thrushstripe.

"What? Why?" Shimmerpaw mewed in surprise.

"Because I love you, Shimmerpaw!" Thrushstripe exclaimed.

Shimmerpaw's eyes widened at his confession. "Y-you do?" she mewed softly.

Thrushstripe's eyes widened. Did he just say all that? "Uh..." on instinct, he ran. He ran as fast as he could, hoping Shimmerpaw wouldn't chase after him, for she would definitely catch up to him.

He stopped and jumped high into a tall oak tree and sat on a branch. What did he just do?

He fell asleep, staying in the tree StarClan knows how long. He woke up to the sound of mews coming from the ground.

"He could be in _any _of these trees!" Morningheart, the deputy, exclaimed to a few other cats. "He might not even be in any of these trees, or maybe not even on the territory anymore!" The black tabby tom sighed in frustration.

"No! He _has _to be in one of these trees!" Shimmerpaw exclaimed. "He _has _to be..."

"Okay, Blazefur, Cloverpaw and I'll go this way, Snowpaw, Sharpstrike and Olivestorm go that way, and Shimmerpaw and Ebonyfeather stay here and search," Morningheart mewed as he pointed in different directions with his tail. "We'll meet back here at sunhigh."

Everyone dispersed, leaving Shimmerpaw and Ebonyfeather underneath the tree Thrushstripe was in.

"Okay, I'll check over there and you check here," Ebonyfeather mewed, already heading over to some bushes.

Shimmerpaw sniffed around the area with Thrushstripe's tree. He was debating with himself whether or not he should jump down there. _I am such a coward, _he thought.

He finally jumped down from the tree, crunching the leaves with the help of gravity. Shimmerpaw spun around, her eyes widening.

"Thrushstripe!" she ran over to him. "Where did you go?! Everyone's looking for you!"

Thrushstripe lowered his head. "I am _such _a coward," he mumbled.

Ebonyfeather came out of the bushes, and her eyes widened. "Thrushstripe!"

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here for a clan meeting!" Fernstar yowled. Most of the cats in the camp were already gathered, including four apprentices, looking ready to jump out of their paws.

"Cloverpaw, Snowpaw, Cherrypaw and Shimmerpaw, come forward," Fernstar mewed. All four apprentices jumped forward in excitement. The clan chuckled.

"I, Fernstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.

"Cloverpaw, Snowpaw, Cherrypaw and Shimmerpaw, do you all promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" she asked.

"We do!" they all said excitedly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Cloverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cloverfrost. StarClan honors your courage and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.

"Snowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Snowheart. StarClan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.

"Cherrypaw, from this moment you will be known as Cherryflight. StarClan honors your courage and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.

"Shimmerpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shimmerbreeze. StarClan honors your determination and speed, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

"Cloverfrost! Snowheart! Cherryflight! Shimmerbreeze!" the clan chanted.

"You four must stand vigil tonight," Fernstar mewed. "The meeting is over!" Fernstar went into her den.

* * *

The next day, when Thrushstripe woke up, he found Shimmerpa- breeze sleeping in the nest next to him. When she stirred, he shut his eyes and pretended to still be asleep.

He saw Shimmerbreeze yawn and stretch through the small crack in his eyelids. She saw him and quickly headed out of the warriors' den. Thrushstripe opened his eyes again and he went out, too.

When he emerged from the den, Shimmerbreeze padded up to him. "Uh, Thrushstripe, can I talk to you?" she asked shyly.

"Um, sure..." he mewed.

"...Somewhere else?"

"Oh... okay..." he followed her out of camp.

Shimmerbreeze stopped so suddenly that Thrushstripe bumped into her. She turned around and mewed, "Um... I didn't forget what you had said..." she looked at her paws.

"Oh..." he looked at his paws too.

"...Ifeelthesameway."

"Huh?"

"Uh.. I-I feel the same way." Thrushstripe's eyes widened.

"A-after you said that, I-I realized th-that... I love you too."

Thrushstripe had no words to describe what he felt. He was speechless.

"Wow... I-I never thought in a million moons this would happen..." Thrushstripe mewed. "D-does this mean we're mates?"

"Uh... I guess so..."

The two cats padded back to camp, tails entwined.

**How was that? That was kind of fun to write. This shows that not all forbidden ships are amazing. Now it's gonna take me seven years to come up with a title...**

**Please review! :)**


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